SAN JACINTO: District rolls out books-on-tablets

Independent study and some summer school secondary students in the San Jacinto Unified School District have been using tablet computers in a pilot program as the district prepares for more widespread use when the new semester begins in August.

The district has 1,400 Samsung Galaxy 7-inch computers that will be used by freshman students at San Jacinto High School, students at Mountain View High School, an alternative school, and Mountain Heights Academy, which offers independent study.

“We’ll be rolling them out over the first two weeks with the students,” said Gabrielle Mitchell, technology coordinator for the district who previously taught at the middle school level for seven years.

“I think the main goal is to prepare them for college and careers,” she said.

The technology investment is one of the major capital improvement priorities for the district. It’s a move to get students ready for the coming transition in the 2014-15 term as California and other states across the country adopt Common Core Standards. The new academic standards require more nonfiction reading and writing, with a goal to better prepare students for their futures.

Instead of using pencils, they will take computerized exams that include some multiple-choice questions but add essay questions and problems to solve that measure student skills.

“I like that you can zoom in” on text, said Kristina Estanislao, a San Jacinto High sophomore taking an algebra class from teacher Dustin Naasz. A junior in the class, Chris Morales, likes turning pages with the swipe of a finger.

Naasz said with a class of 40, the students are able to work more independently at times so he can help individuals. They can self-check their problem-solving and the application shows them the correct answer, reducing the embarrassment factor.

“I think it’s better. You have all your books here,” said Carlos Valenzuela, a senior taking an independent study English class.

The students said the convenience factor for students in the fall will be a plus — when students will be able to take the tablets home, pre-loaded with four or five school books, instead of lugging books in backpacks. For the pilot program, the students don’t take the tablets home.

Mitchell said the tablets cost about $180 each, compared to about a $400 price tag for five text books.

Juan Peñaloza, the district’s director of technology, said letters will be sent to parents this week about what to expect with the new tool. The tablet is no different than a book in that if lost, there is a potential fine. The district is looking into whether a low-cost insurance plan is available for parents to purchase.

If students mistreat the tablets, the fallback always is to go back to textbooks, officials said.